


the one being caught for once

by Fandom_Trash224



Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU, Nightwing (Comics)
Genre: Dick Grayson is Nightwing, Fluff, Gen, Happy Ending, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Identity Reveal, POV Outsider, for most of it anyways, people love their superheroes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-28
Updated: 2020-04-28
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:41:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23897671
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fandom_Trash224/pseuds/Fandom_Trash224
Summary: Nightwing catches people. Anyone who's heard of him knows this. He catches criminals to protect his city and he catches its people before they can fall (in more ways than one). It's his duty, and he's damn good at it.Now, it's his city's turn to catchhiminstead.
Comments: 17
Kudos: 342
Collections: Dick & Ensemble, everybody loves dick





	the one being caught for once

**Author's Note:**

> i fucking LOVE the scene in Spider-Man 2 (2004) where the ppl on the train catch peter and the entire scene that follows, but since im in dc hell rn, my brain said "what if that but NIGHTWING" so. have this.

The first hand that reaches out to grab the vigilante’s chest is frantic, shaking, and belongs to a man who has never had the chance to thank the young hero for saving his daughter back when they first moved to the city. 

Others quickly follow, some calm and collected, some desperate, some worried. They belong to citizens going to work, going home, just out on the town with friends and family. They all know of Nightwing, and they all work together to pull him into the safety of the monorail car.

Among them, there is a woman who has met Nightwing once before, only for a moment, but knows that the man beneath that domino is the same colorful boy that once followed the dark knight of Gotham. There’s a child who owes his life to the man, not because he saved them from a criminal or monster, but because he saved them from their own dark and twisted mind after it led them to an empty rooftop with the intent to end it all. There’s even a man who plans to name his baby after the hero who once saved his beloved. 

They all have their reasons to care for the vigilante.

They lift him high above their heads, more hands shooting up to further bring him in, gently cradling the hero as he ascends and is brought even further inward. The whole car is silent as the crowd parts slowly, listening to the words of a young nurse, who chose his career after he once watched Nightwing limp away from battle, and never once heard of him showing up to a hospital in search of help.

“Be careful.” His voice is clear and sharp, but his eyes are wet as he watches the vigilante be slowly lowered to the floor. “Easy now. Slower.”

As Nightwing is placed onto the ground, unconscious but  _ breathing _ , thank the universe, the crowd closes in, leaving only a small bubble around him. It is then that they realize his domino is gone, and it is then that a young woman, one that Nightwing once helped by simply complimenting her dress after a long night, gasps. Others follow, and soon come whispers.

_ “Is that--” _

_ “It can’t be--” _

_ “I know he left Gotham, but I never figured--” _

_ “And if he was Robin, too, then that means--” _

“He’s just a kid…,” one man murmurs, and it is enough to stop the whispers. Everyone turns to look at Nightwing, at the young, battered face that has kept them safe for so long. “He’s no older than my own…”

And the crowd realizes he’s right. Nightwing, the man under the mask, is only in his twenties. Those who recognize him as the former boy wonder feel their hearts clench. Those who don’t feel their stomachs drop. 

Nightwing begins to stir, and the whole car holds their breath.

\---

As Dick begins to regain his senses, he is first aware of the fact that he is, in fact, on solid ground and  _ not _ free-falling to his death, which is weird, considering he was  _ definitely _ about to do that when he passed out. The second thing he notices is that he is not alone. He can feel the body heat of about a dozen or so other people, all crammed into a small space around him, and his eyes slowly open to those dozens of faces staring down at him. 

Some are concerned. Some are confused. Others are in awe.

Dick’s hand slowly goes to his face, and his eyes widen as he remembers his shredded mask flying off into the city streets. He’s not wearing his mask.  _ They can all see who he is _ .

He’s about to start panicking when an older man, one Dick vaguely recalls saving from a hostage situation a few weeks back, kneels down in front of him with a soft, comforting smile.

“It’s alright,” he says, and Dick, against all his usual instincts, relaxes slightly, though his breath still trembles, and his stomach is still tied in knots.

Dick watches as the crowd parts for a young man wearing a very poorly made Robin costume. His mask is so cheap, it’s made out of a strip of cloth with eye-holes cut into it and tied around his head. The boy takes it off slowly and hands it to Dick without any words, just a hopeful look in his eyes.

Dick takes it silently, but every question he wants to ask is in his gaze as he looks between the fabric mask and the crowd. Another person steps forward, and Dick recognizes them, but he can’t recall from  _ where _ .

“We won’t tell anyone, Nightwing,” they say softly, and to Dick’s surprise, the people around them nod and agree, the whole car of people taking the same vow. “We promise.”

Dick is frozen, like a deer in headlights. He… wasn’t expecting that, honestly. He’s not sure  _ what _ he had been expecting, but the overwhelming support of these strangers is not it. Then, he smiles, letting out an awed chuckle as he slowly ties the fabric around his own head. It was a bit tight, but it would work well enough until he could get home and grab a backup mask.

With the help of the people around him, he stands and even manages to pull open one of the doors on the car.

“Thank you,” he says after a moment, giving a soft smile to the passengers. He was still freaking out, years of the Bat’s paranoia drilled into him, but the overwhelming support was just that: Overwhelming. “Really. It means a lot.”

“No, Nightwing,” a young woman says, reflecting the smile, “Thank  _ you _ .”

He nods, once, slowly, and with that, Dick is off into the night once more.

\---

There’s a whole group of people in Blüdhaven who have seen behind the mask of Nightwing. 

Some have only known him as Nightwing, their protector. Some have made the connection to the young boy wonder of Gotham, from so many years ago. Some recognized the young man, some did not. 

It doesn’t matter to them either way.

They all keep quiet, because no matter what, Nightwing is Nightwing, and to the people of Blüdhaven, Nightwing... he’s their  _ hope _ . They could never risk him.

**Author's Note:**

> comments nd kudos appreciated! 
> 
> check me out on tumblr:
> 
> dc: gothamhell.tumblr.com  
> main: fandom-trash224.tumblr.com


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